The final months of the tennis season can be grueling to say the least. The sport's top stars have usually exhausted both their mental and physical attributes by the latter stages of the fall circuit, resulting in far too many injuries and tournament withdrawals.

In the crap shoot of attrition and mental perseverance that determines the last men standing, Russian Nikolay Davydenko and Spaniard Rafael Nadal poured in well-earned victories to round out an overall fatiguing year of tennis.

 

Nikolay Davydenko: POM for November

In a year marred by early injury and poor results, Davydenko ironically was the last man standing during the World Tour finals in London.

Appearing in his fifth straight Tour finale, the defending finalist survived his first loss of the event to Novak Djokovic, only to defeat Nadal, Robin Soderling, Roger Federer, and Juan Martin del Potro in successive rounds.

Not only did the 28-year-old Volgograd resident defeat all of the Major winners of the season, Davydenko's biggest tournament title was highlighted by his first ever win against Federer.

Losing to the Swiss No. 1 on 12 straight occasions, Davydenko's chances of victory in the pair's semifinal were nil to none.

Federer's stellar serving and early struck forehand had always outclassed the Russian's under-matched arsenal.

However, during that final Saturday on the ATP World Tour, Davydenko's improved determination and unconscious shot making proved good enough against the decade's most prolific champion.

Continuing his stellar form in the finals, Davydenko thrashed US Open champion del Potro to take the title.

Cashing in on his grandest career payday of over $1.5 million, Davydenko leapfrogged Andy Roddick in the year-end rankings to finish world No. 6.

The compact and quick Russian will now head into the year's first major in Australia with a realistic shot at taking home his first ever Grand Slam title.

 

Rafael Nadal: POM for December

In stark contrast to Davydenko's early season woes, the talk of the tennis world circled around Nadal for the first quarter of the year. Capturing five tour titles, which included his first hard court major Down Under, Nadal appeared ready to fight for the elusive "true" Slam.

However, well-documented knee and domestic concerns altered the finely tuned beginning of the Spaniard's campaign. Succumbing to a tailspin of early exits (for his standards) and eight months without winning a title, Nadal's prime concern became finishing the season with a Davis Cup victory.

Beginning the weekend's tie against Tomas Berdych, Nadal's early set jitters were evident. His confidence was shaken after four straight losses—tying his worst loss streak since 2004—and a fifth straight loss to an under-matched clay opponent would be embarrassing to say the least.

After trading opening set breaks of serve, Nadal's clay court genius finally began to surface. Reeling off 13 straight games after winning the first set, Nadal's hook forwards and athletic fist pumps were once again the catalysts of his winning combination.

The clay had once again rescued the Mallorcan from enduring further disappoint.

Spearheading Spain's fourth Davis Cup title of the decade, Nadal improved to 14-1 in singles competition and 12-0 on clay courts.

It remains to be seen if Nadal can carry over his Davis Cup glory into next season. His knees and personal life have been affected, but he is still relatively young at 23.

If anything, the Davis Cup final proved that Nadal's passion for the game is ever present. Cheering on his squad when not fighting for his life on court, Nadal's positive energy towards his teammates was nothing short of invigorating.

Recapturing the No. 1 ranking and attaining a US Open victory (the remaining major left off the Spaniard's resume) will fuel the rest of Nadal's career.

He will definitely need some luck if he is to triumph in New York; after all, the Slam comes at the end of the season when Nadal is usually banged and bruised from a successful spring and summer circuit.

With 2010 waiting in the bounds, one would have to think that Nadal's tenure at the top is far from over.

 

Let's not forget...

Honorable mention for POM consideration also goes out to Djokovic and David Ferrer.

Djokovic, who captured the title in Basel, Switzerland, and the Paris Masters 1000, proved that his ability to win in back-to-back weeks was ever present.

Ferrer's tail of success came from a slightly different angle. The workaholic Valencia native didn't have his most spectacular season on Tour. With no titles to his name and with his lowest year-end ranking in the past five years (No. 17), Ferrer was in dire need of a shot in the arm.

The beginning stages of his Davis Cup match with Radek Stepanek didn't turn out as planned: Ferrer was mercilessly blown off the court in the first two sets.

Emphatically cheered on by team leader Nadal, Ferrer began to chip away at Stepanek's lead, capturing the third and fourth sets on the strength of his two-handed backhand.

Playing a photo-finish fifth set, Ferrer captured the greatest win of his 10-year career by ousting Stepanek by a final set score of 8-6 in the final set. The win also gave Spain a comforting 2-0 tie lead.

I fully expect Djokovic and Ferrer to feed off their late season heroics and put forth solid 2010 campaigns.